Three Texas cannabis dispensaries are open; a dispensary in Schulenburg, TX made its first delivery in late January 2018. The problem is that fewer than 20 doctors registered with the Texas Department of Public Safety to prescribe the oil from marijuana plants.

A physician can sign up for the state registry if he/she has dedicated a significant portion of clinical practice to epilepsy treatment. The doctor must also be certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in epilepsy or neurology.

Advocacy groups believe it’s still early, and more doctors will join the registry in the coming weeks. “This product is coming out differently than how a typical medication for epilepsy comes up the pipeline,” said Sindi Rosales with the Epilepsy Foundation of Central and South Texas. “There’s still a lot of questions about the product, and I think that’s adding to some of the slow movement.”